Mental disorder and mysticism in the late medieval world.
History of psychology May 1, 2019 Simon Kemp
In the later Middle Ages, people sometimes behaved in ways that seem unusual today, yet they were rarely considered mentally disordered. This article reviews medieval ideas about mental disorder and the discernment of spirits—how to decide whether an experience or impulse came from God, a good or evil spirit, or a purely human cause. Criteria for discerning a good spirit were behavioral, such as consistent humility and discretion, and clearly differed from signs of mental disorder. Comparing criteria for mental disorder with those for discerning spirits shows how the distinction could be made and why confusion between the two appears to have been rare.